Set in 200 square kilometres of open plains, woodlands and riverine forest, Africa’s greatest wildlife reserve awaits you. The Masai Mara Game Reserve in the south-eastern corner of Kenya adjoins the Serengeti in Tanzania and is home to a breathtaking array of life.
You will experience the ultimate wildlife extravaganza if you travel here during the great annual wildebeest migration. These imposing animals begin to leave the Serengeti in July and over a three month period they move northwards in search of water and grass. More than 1.3 million wildebeest in a massive herd make this annual migration creating an extraordinary natural spectacle.
Stay in luxury safari accommodation either in the National Park or on the surrounding private conservancies that offer a more exclusive experience while you soak up the superlative game viewing experience offered in the Masai Mara Reserve. You will spend your days on game drives and nature walks, thrilling in the sheer diversity of wildlife here, often in and around the tented safari camps. You will need to stay at one of the neighbouring conservancies for game walks and night drives as these are not allowed in the National Park itself. For a different perspective take a trip in a hot air balloon and view the plains from above. You can choose to explore the region by horse-back and if you are up for it, there are some great high forest trekking routes in the nearby Loita Hills and the Nguruman Escarpment. These lands are sacred to the local Maasai peoples.
This part of Kenya is the heartland of the Maasai. This cultural group are strongly independent and place a high value on maintaining their traditional ways and rituals. They live life in harmony with nature and animals such as the lion and wildebeest play an important role in their cultural beliefs. Their presence here in a game-rich area just adds to the attraction of the Masai Mara Game Reserve as one of the world’s most unique wilderness regions. Include this region in a tour of Kenya if you want to experience all that the country has to offer.
The Masai Mara Game Reserve is best-known for:
The Annual Wildebeest Migration
Stretching from horizon to horizon, more than a million wildebeest accompanied by herds of zebra and gazelle and closely followed by stalking predators migrate from the drier Serengeti looking for fresh grass and water. The lion, hyena and jackal also feast during this period as do the crocodiles waiting in the Mara River that the animals have to cross on their journey. Have a look at the luxury accommodation options in this region.
Visit with the Masaai
These strongly traditional people are semi-nomadic and very much connected to their surrounding landscape. They are perhaps best known for their reputation for being fierce warriors and their relationship with cattle whose products they use for a variety of food uses. Visit with these graceful people in their traditional homes or ‘manyatta’ and experience a way of life that has been basically unchanged for centuries.
Off the Beaten Track in Masai Mara:
Take to Air for a Bird’s Eye View
A hot air balloon trip anywhere is a magical experience but here in the game-rich Masai Mara it is an experience beyond comparison. Particularly if you book during the migration period when you will float over millions of animals flooding the plain for as far as the eye can see.
Hotels & Lodges in Masai Mara
